Sora is a great new reading app for South Kingstown students! Our students are "google-authenticated" in Sora, meaning, once they sign in to their devices, they automatically have access to thousands of books in Sora! Our students have immediate access to a shared collection called RISOCKS, including many popular magazines (multiple students can read the magazines at one time, however, the e-books can only be borrowed by one student at a time).
To access Sora, students can find it here (in their school library catalog), or in their google "waffle" (the nine dots), towards the very end of their apps. Since only grades 3-4 are using school emails, they are the only ones who could find it in their google "waffle". The younger grades could access through the school library catalog (see above link).
To dramatically expand access to many more e-books, students can add their public library card (instructions for how to do this are below). Then, students can switch back and forth between RISOCKS and their public library. A great feature of Sora is that if students access the public library in the Sora app, it automatically filters by age, so that grades K-5 only see juvenile literature in the public library catalog.
Sora- the student reading app
from Overdrive Education (click
picture to watch video)
Students are google-authenticated into Sora. Once they sign into their devices, they automatically have access to Sora.
However, only grades 3-4 are given their emails, though all students have a school g-mail address. If you are in grades K-2,
contact your school librarian to learn how your student can log in to Sora.
Click on the pdf below for step-by-step for logging in to Sora:
If you go to: https://soraapp.com/
Then, click the "My School is RISOCKS" button, then choose "South Kingstown Town Schools".
Next, click on the green button to sign into South Kingstown Town Schools; then, the student/parent would sign in using the student's email, and a password (contact your school librarian Mrs. Badigian at mbadigian@sksd-ri.net to learn your student's email and password.
(Please note: the students aren't given their emails until 3rd grade.)
So, immediately, the student will have access to all the thousands of books in the "RISOCKS" collection.
If you want to add the student's public library card number, click the arrow under the Explore button (upper left);
It gives you the option to add a Library- choose Ocean State Libraries. It will let you in, but you cannot check out a book until you add your library card + 4-digit pin number*.
You have to click on a book that you want to borrow first, then it will prompt you to enter the library card # + pin #.
You only have to enter it one time - it will remember it going forward. Then, under the explore button in the upper left, you can switch back and forth between RISOCKS and the Ocean State Libraries. You'll notice that the student have access to many thousands more e-books! It is important to know that Sora filters by age so that the student will only be able to see juvenile literature in the public library catalog.
*Please note: if you do not know your public library 4-digit pin #, here's how to reset your pin:
(Please note: the public library recently (Spring 2023) changed to a new system, and everyone's pin number defaulted to the last 4 digits of their phone number. For kids, this would be the last four digits of their parent's phone number. If you choose to reset that pin number, the instructions for doing this are below).
Go to: www.skpl.org
Scroll down to the blue circle that says “Books and More”;
Once there, click on “Sign In” (upper right)
Then you can enter your library card number, and click on “Forgot Your Pin”.
They will send you an email with a link to reset your pin #.